Citing conversations with people around the league, NFL Network's Albert Breer says the feeling is the Browns' head-coaching job is viewed as "radioactive.""Tough spot for them," added Breer of the Browns, who were quickly spurned by Patriots OC Josh McDaniels. The Browns have an alleged-criminal owner and kicked Rob Chudzinski aside after one year on the job, also letting outstanding coordinators Ray Horton and Norv Turner leave without a fight. There is no franchise quarterback or running back on the roster. It's not surprising coaches around the league aren't lining up to succeed Chudzinski.

Rotoworld has elaborated on Breer's tweet

"There is but one thing of real value: to cultivate truth and justice and to live without anger in the midst of lying and unjust men"

Munchak spent 48 hours preparing for the (Titans) interview. […] Some assistants have nice, glossy presentations prepared when they interview for a job. Munchak had nothing. “I’m not a networker,” he said. “So when it came time for one of the important parts of the interview, identifying which coaches I’d try to hire on my staff, I didn’t really know a lot of them.”

“Shocking,” said (GM Mike) Reinfeldt. “He had an answer for everything. And some great ideas. We had no idea that was coming.” Not just the Paterno-spawned ideas either. Sports jackets on road trips. No hats in the building. No headphones while working out; talking and communicating was preferred. No TVs in the trainer’s room; don’t want it to be too comfortable in there. A 12-minute video presentation on the history of the Oilers going back to the old American Football League days “because you should always know where you came from,” Munchak said.So let's recap: Here's a coach who didn't prepare for his interview, had no clear idea of who should be on his staff (arguably the most important job of a head coach), and whose biggest idea was a fucking hat ban. Why, they'd have been fools NOT to hire him! It's not often you find a coach who likes showing players motivational videos and is willing to promulgate a useless, infantilizing disciplinary regime. That's totally unique! Jesus Christ, who's running this team? An owl? - From Deadspin

22 wins and 26 losses later, the Browns are sniffing around him. Wonderful.

His daughter is kinda cute, though. So that's something.

---"It was great training being there. They do it with character and intelligence. They run that organization the right way. They build through the draft. They're patient. It's just the right way to do it. It was a tremendous opportunity to be with them." Jimmy Haslam on why he'd model the Browns after the Steelers, 10/16/12

My guess is after the Jets game Haslem had a conniption and made up his mind right then. Hence the leaks going into the Inbred game. Bannardi probably tried to argue on Chuds behalf (this is gonna make us look bad...etc. etc) but were rebuked by the Hick. Now they have to go into damage control mode.

If any of this is true the only way this is ever gonna get better is when the Hick takes a Flying J to jail and a new owner steps in. Or...shudder...the league takes control.

So apparently they're willing to wait until after the Super Bowl just to interview Adam Gase. Part of me says that if they're willing to do that, the guy had better be something really special. The other part says that they aren't exactly missing out on anyone all that exciting based on the hires that other teams are making, so why not wait to interview the guy if he intrigues you. Neither of these thoughts makes me feel any better about whether there was a real plan when they fired Chud.

I can't shake the feeling that the desire to be the smartest guys in the room is leading the Browns to see Gase this way:

while the rest of the league sees him this way:

---"It was great training being there. They do it with character and intelligence. They run that organization the right way. They build through the draft. They're patient. It's just the right way to do it. It was a tremendous opportunity to be with them." Jimmy Haslam on why he'd model the Browns after the Steelers, 10/16/12

Well, there's only 2 more jobs left open, and after the Vikes hire Mike Zimmer (who we didn't interview for God knows what reason) we'll have the only available job, so there's really no reason not to wait to interview the guy at this point.

It's not like the season is fucked if we don't get Mike Munchak in here right away.

I wonder if Banner has been using Mike Polk's Cleveland Tourism Videos to attract candidates, without ever having watched them.

Hmm...I hope not. Hadn't thought of that when I looked at the pic, though.

Being carried by Peyton Manning was more the idea that I got.

---"It was great training being there. They do it with character and intelligence. They run that organization the right way. They build through the draft. They're patient. It's just the right way to do it. It was a tremendous opportunity to be with them." Jimmy Haslam on why he'd model the Browns after the Steelers, 10/16/12

HoodooMan wrote:Well, with Peyton's hand in a fist, they at least look more like Olympic protesters than Nazis.

It does look like that, the Black Power salute. Given by the two whitest guys alive.

That pic to me says that Manning and the much shorter Gase are unified in some effort which induces fist-pumping.

I think it's fair to say a lot of Gase's success in his ONE YEAR as OC is due to having Peyton Manning as his QB, as fair as it is to say that it's foolish to overlook that a 38 year old diminished-skills (although not nearly as diminished as some dolt was claiming before the season) Peyton Manning had his best season EVER with Gase.

Really, all the candidates that are left are so... underwhelming... that Gase almost seems interesting in the fact that he is a giant question mark.

Plus, he'll work really well with Peyton once the Broncs win the SB, Manning retires, and Jimmy immediately hires him as Lord of Football Ops and Banner's new boss.

HoodooMan wrote:Well, with Peyton's hand in a fist, they at least look more like Olympic protesters than Nazis.

It does look like that, the Black Power salute. Given by the two whitest guys alive.

That pic to me says that Manning and the much shorter Gase are unified in some effort which induces fist-pumping.

I think it's fair to say a lot of Gase's success in his ONE YEAR as OC is due to having Peyton Manning as his QB, as fair as it is to say that it's foolish to overlook that a 38 year old diminished-skills (although not nearly as diminished as some dolt was claiming before the season) Peyton Manning had his best season EVER with Gase.

Really, all the candidates that are left are so... underwhelming... that Gase almost seems interesting in the fact that he is a giant question mark.

Plus, he'll work really well with Peyton once the Broncs win the SB, Manning retires, and Jimmy immediately hires him as Lord of Football Ops and Banner's new boss.

That whole "Peyton had his best season at 38 with this guy as his coordinator" is the best argument I've heard for Gase.

While he is very young for a head coach, he's been in the league since 2005 - so at least he's got quite a bit of NFL experience. And I would guess that Peyton must really be talking him up privately for Haslam and co. to be this determined to wait and interview him, which means more than Aaron Rodgers' "what else is he supposed to say?" public endorsement of McAdoo.

I guess if they have to wait 3 more weeks to make sure they've covered all their bases and that whomever they hire is the guy they really want, it's not that big a deal at this point. It would be easier if there was more reason to have confidence in the people making these decisions, but personally I'm going to try not to hold it against Adam Gase that he is the number one choice of a front office that has pretty much proven to be made up entirely of jackasses.

---"It was great training being there. They do it with character and intelligence. They run that organization the right way. They build through the draft. They're patient. It's just the right way to do it. It was a tremendous opportunity to be with them." Jimmy Haslam on why he'd model the Browns after the Steelers, 10/16/12

bookelly wrote:I'd be great if we waited for Gase and then he told us he wasn't interested.

Unfortunately, this would also be the biggest endorsement of his good judgement. If he takes the job you have to immediately question his intelligence.

---"It was great training being there. They do it with character and intelligence. They run that organization the right way. They build through the draft. They're patient. It's just the right way to do it. It was a tremendous opportunity to be with them." Jimmy Haslam on why he'd model the Browns after the Steelers, 10/16/12

Hikohadon wrote:Really, all the candidates that are left are so... underwhelming... that Gase almost seems interesting in the fact that he is a giant question mark.

Yep. A blank slate is more appealing than one with poo smeared on it.

My Gase breakdown is as follows.

Positives:

-Resembles Vladimir Putin-2 year associates degree from The Peyton Manning School of Footballz-Young guy who moved up through the ranks quickly (some good history there)-Gase is a pun-friendly name. Murder Was the Gase That They Gave Me, What's in the Gase? (Pulp Fiction), Gase Western Reserve University, I give respect to King and it's not about Gase (just learned this isn't actually the lyric, but I'm still going with it), etc...

Negatives:

-Used the word "expecially" in a video I saw linked at the other site-Bit of a sidemouth talker. This is mitigated somewhat by the fact that he's more of a Popeye sidemouth talker than a Drew Barrymore sidemouth talker, but it's still a concern-Gase is a pun-friendly name. Does Adam have a Gase up his sleeve today? (Thing Solomon Wilcotts is guaranteed to say), Slow and steady wins the Gase (Possible headline after we finally hire him), etc...

Hikohadon wrote:Really, all the candidates that are left are so... underwhelming... that Gase almost seems interesting in the fact that he is a giant question mark.

Yep. A blank slate is more appealing than one with poo smeared on it.

My Gase breakdown is as follows.

Positives:

-Resembles Vladimir Putin-2 year associates degree from The Peyton Manning School of Footballz-Young guy who moved up through the ranks quickly (some good history there)-Gase is a pun-friendly name. Murder Was the Gase That They Gave Me, What's in the Gase? (Pulp Fiction), Gase Western Reserve University, I give respect to King and it's not about Gase (just learned this isn't actually the lyric, but I'm still going with it), etc...

Negatives:

-Used the word "expecially" in a video I saw linked at the other site-Bit of a sidemouth talker. This is mitigated somewhat by the fact that he's more of a Popeye sidemouth talker than a Drew Barrymore sidemouth talker, but it's still a concern-Gase is a pun-friendly name. Does Adam have a Gase up his sleeve today? (Thing Solomon Wilcotts is guaranteed to say), Slow and steady wins the Gase (Possible headline after we finally hire him), etc...

The really amazing thing about that list is that the Browns breakdown of Gase is probably exactly the same.

---"It was great training being there. They do it with character and intelligence. They run that organization the right way. They build through the draft. They're patient. It's just the right way to do it. It was a tremendous opportunity to be with them." Jimmy Haslam on why he'd model the Browns after the Steelers, 10/16/12

Hikohadon wrote:Really, all the candidates that are left are so... underwhelming... that Gase almost seems interesting in the fact that he is a giant question mark.

Yep. A blank slate is more appealing than one with poo smeared on it.

My Gase breakdown is as follows.

Positives:

-Resembles Vladimir Putin-2 year associates degree from The Peyton Manning School of Footballz-Young guy who moved up through the ranks quickly (some good history there)-Gase is a pun-friendly name. Murder Was the Gase That They Gave Me, What's in the Gase? (Pulp Fiction), Gase Western Reserve University, I give respect to King and it's not about Gase (just learned this isn't actually the lyric, but I'm still going with it), etc...

Negatives:

-Used the word "expecially" in a video I saw linked at the other site-Bit of a sidemouth talker. This is mitigated somewhat by the fact that he's more of a Popeye sidemouth talker than a Drew Barrymore sidemouth talker, but it's still a concern-Gase is a pun-friendly name. Does Adam have a Gase up his sleeve today? (Thing Solomon Wilcotts is guaranteed to say), Slow and steady wins the Gase (Possible headline after we finally hire him), etc...

I thought it was important to take a little bit of time to update you on our head-coach search. We have had the opportunity to speak to a number of outstanding candidates. We have purposefully been very methodical in our approach. We believe it is very important to stay disciplined to this process and to interview all of the candidates on our list. We are strongly committed to finding the right person to coach the Cleveland Browns.

We understood from the beginning that if we wanted to speak to all of the coaches on our list that we may need to wait until they have completed their participation in the playoffs. We are prepared to wait as long as necessary because this is a very important decision. Everyone in our organization is committed to finding the right leader for our team.

We believe the head coach of the Cleveland Browns to be a very attractive position. We have one of the youngest teams in the League, a roster that includes five Pro Bowlers. In addition, we have more salary-cap room than all but one NFL team. We also have three of the top 35 picks in the upcoming draft and five of the top 83 selections.

We are very much looking forward to adding a strong coach to our football team. On behalf of the Cleveland Browns, I cannot thank you enough for your valuable support and passion that you show for our team.

We look forward to communicating with you again after the search process in complete. Thank you again for your phenomenal support and loyalty."

"And three of the better guys in franchise history, Daugherty, Z and now Kyrie could get hurt in a rubber room full of cotton balls." - Leadpipe

Mike Pettine added to the list of candidates. I don't know much about him, but Bills fans seem to be freaking out at the thought of losing him. I like that.

---"It was great training being there. They do it with character and intelligence. They run that organization the right way. They build through the draft. They're patient. It's just the right way to do it. It was a tremendous opportunity to be with them." Jimmy Haslam on why he'd model the Browns after the Steelers, 10/16/12

rbm0183 wrote:Mike Pettine added to the list of candidates. I don't know much about him, but Bills fans seem to be freaking out at the thought of losing him. I like that.

I love it when they throw in candidates I've never heard of before.

Now I know a little more about him. He's the guy who was leaking things to the media during the whole Jets/Tebow debacle.

In an exclusive interview with the New York Post, Buffalo Bills defensive Mike Pettine, formerly on the Jets' coach staff, was asked about the accusations that he was a leak/source, to some Jets writers, last year.

“In the fallout, a lot was made of the [leaking] thing, which bothered me,’’ Pettine told The Post. “I never addressed it publicly, because I was advised not to, but that bothered me because of lack of truth. All of a sudden everything coming out of the building was from me.

“It’s struck me as funny that now that I’ve left, information still finds its way out of the building. That bothered me personally, but you understand there’s going to be a lot of people who look for negatives and dwell on the negatives. That’s something you deal with and move on.’’

The Buffalo Bills may be 6-9 and on their way to yet another losing record, but it’s not all bad in Western New York.Sure, the offense is still a work in progress, but the defense has come alive this season and all eyes focus on defensive coordinator Mike Pettine and his efforts. The pass rush has been getting some love this year, but the coordinator may be getting his due credit after Sunday’s dominating 19-0 win that may have ruined the Miami Dolphins’ playoff chances.Last week, TheMMQB.com’s Peter King reported that the NFL recently created a panel of former coaches and general managers to recommend head-coaching candidates to teams with vacancies. Not so surprisingly, Pettine is on that list.Naturally, Pettine had all the right things to say like “I’m not going to think about it until the season is over” or “flattered to be on the list, but lists are lists” and of course “we’re focusing on New England.” All the classics.

Although one writer in Buffalo, who seems to have a reputation for saying obnoxious things to gain attention, didn't have anything nice to say.

Bills reporter from the Buffalo News, Tim Graham, called in to talk about the Browns latest candidate for head coach, Mike Pettine, who will reportedly interview today for the job. Tim called Pettine “a typical Browns hire,” a guy that brings a “squeamish” factor to fans. Tim said Pettine was an “unproven coordinator” having only lead the defense for one year in Buffalo. Prior to that, Pettine was with Rex Ryan in New York, where Tim described his time there as a “caretaker” to Ryan’s defense. The guys asked Tim if anyone in the NFL was interested in the guy and Tim answered with a resounding NO.

---"It was great training being there. They do it with character and intelligence. They run that organization the right way. They build through the draft. They're patient. It's just the right way to do it. It was a tremendous opportunity to be with them." Jimmy Haslam on why he'd model the Browns after the Steelers, 10/16/12

rbm0183 wrote:Mike Pettine added to the list of candidates. I don't know much about him, but Bills fans seem to be freaking out at the thought of losing him. I like that.

I love it when they throw in candidates I've never heard of before.

They are doing this the right way. Methodical and unrelenting in their zeal to leave no stone unturned. The Peeker Plan...if you will.

Since it's been about 3 weeks since the Browns and Bills both had their seasons end, the fact that they're just now interviewing him feels more like killing time until the guy they want is done with the playoffs than "being thorough".

It doesn't bother me that they're interviewing him, just that his name came out of left field as far as HC candidates is concerned.

Ian Rapoport‏@RapSheet35 mins #Broncos OC Adam Gase has thanked #Browns for their interest but informed them they can move on with their search as he focuses on the game

Galley Boys are slop on top of a so-so burger and a bun you coulde get from a Covneninet food mart generic pack. They the Antoine Joubert of burgers; soft, sloppy, oozing grease and cheap sauce and extremely overrated by a biased fan base. Proof that if you throw enough cheap sauce shit on a burger you still can't overcome the lame burger. -JB

Yeah, Gase withdrew his name, then the Browns announced they didn't want to wait anyway. Fucking pathetic.

In my mind's eye, Haslam has finally lost all patience with Lombanner dragging his good (OK, slightly credible) name through the mud and - worse - making him the butt of national jokes. And he wants to fire them. But it's just too late to do that now - he's stuck with them for another year. So he, we, all of us are totally fucked.

Hikohadon wrote:Yeah, Gase withdrew his name, then the Browns announced they didn't want to wait anyway. Fucking pathetic.

I think this is actually one time where the Browns' PR spin might be worse than reality.

We waited 3 weeks for the right guy...but couldn't wait two more?

Agree. They took a situation that was maybe slightly embarrassing and then announced to the world that they were so embarrassed and humiliated that they were going to make up a blatant lie to cover it. Which is much more embarrassing than the initial embarrassment.

Especially when they'll be waiting another 2 weeks anyway to get Quinn.

If you're the Browns and you feel compelled to make a statement (I don't know why you would, but whatever), the statement should be "Gase called us and thanked us for our interest, but felt that he was too focused on Super Bowl planning and wasn't ready to interview for a Head Coaching position this year."

Instead, the big-decision-makers in Berea felt that "We decided we don't want Gase! Firsties!" was the way to go. Sigh.